Kimiko Saito
| Kimiko Saito | |
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| Profile | |
| Gender: | Female |
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| Date of birth: | February 12, 1977 |
| Place of birth: | Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan[1] |
| Voice of: | Fuji Mine |
| Years active: | 2001–present |
| Website: | X Account Aoni Production Profile |
Kimiko Saito (斉藤 貴美子 Saitō Kimiko), born February 12, 1977 in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan, is a Japanese voice actor and narrator who is affiliated with the talent agency Aoni Production.
In Shin Samurai-den Yaiba she is the voice of Fuji Mine.
Contents
Biography
Kimiko Saito graduated from the Faculty of Literature at Tsuru University and completed the 21st class at Aoni Production's training school in Tokyo.
Her interest in becoming a voice actor started with a love for radio, as she originally wanted to be a radio host.
At first, she dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher in Nagano Prefecture. After finishing university, she felt that going straight into teaching didn’t quite match the kind of teacher she wanted to be. So, with her parents' support, she moved to Tokyo under the agreement that she would spend two years gaining life experience.
Although she had already obtained a teaching license, two years later she found herself on the path to becoming a voice actor instead.
Saito is known for often voicing older female characters such as mothers and grandmothers. She gained attention for her distinctive voice style early on, with her debut in 2001 including mother roles, showing her specialization in this character type.
In a Death Note special program, she was introduced as the "Eriko Watanabe of the voice acting world." Her demo recordings for Aoni Production also reflect her unique vocal tone. Throughout her career, she has rarely been cast as a typical female lead. She is heavily associated with comical, middle-aged, or chubby female characters.
Despite having a decent natural voice and appearance based on fan accounts and photos, she has been largely limited to niche roles. Some see this as a drawback, while others believe this specialization allows her to consistently get work in those character types. Her situation is somewhat similar to that of Korean voice actor Si Young-jun, where voicing such characters help them land particular roles that are in lower demand among newcomers.
She has, however, voiced a few more traditionally feminine characters in the past, such as Jilltail in Elemental Gelade and Sis in Eden of the East, though these were earlier in her career. She once mentioned wanting to voice a magical girl, although her hoarsy voice has led to people mistaking her for an adult even when she was a child.
On October 24, 2019, she announced on the radio show Aipon & Mashumi no "Koesake Hannari" that she had gotten married.
Other roles in Detective Conan
- Clash of Red and Black (Episodes 491-504): Kikuyo Tabata
- The Night the Zombie Died (Episode 582): Asako Fujimori
- The Blind Spot in the Dressing Room (Episodes 878-879): Tomoyo Nitsuka
Other notable roles
Anime
- South Park: Eric Cartman
- One Piece: Gyoro, Boa Marigold, Catarina Devon, Agilia, Elmy, Ooklicia, Charlotte Mondee
- Elemental Gelade: Jilltail
- Gintama: Konpeito Shop Owner's Daughter, Lake Toya's Mother
- Death Note: Rem
- Dragon Ball Z: Idasa's and Ikose's Mother
- Hunter × Hunter: Milluki Zoldyck, Cutie Beauty
- One-Punch Man: Madame Shibabawa
Movie
- The Last: Naruto the Movie: Head Maid
- Dragonball Super: Broly: Berryblue
Trivia
- She is 167cm tall and weighs 73kg.
